


meetings

by vividhoods



Category: Batman (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: F/M, Winky Face, but i’ll tag it if i add it, i’ll add tags as i go i guess, jason dies :(, pre52 era cuz peak, talia is jason’s mom :), there might be violence later bc i’m following the utrh arc, we'll meet the others soon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:54:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23073565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vividhoods/pseuds/vividhoods
Summary: Jason dies a few months after you befriend him, and it puts a dent in your life, but now he’s back.
Relationships: Jason Todd/Reader, Red Hood/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	meetings

**Author's Note:**

> god i’ve had this in my docs for idk. months. glad to finally post it, cuz i love it. please let me know your thoughts, i live on feedback <3

The first time you met Jason was at Gotham Academy. 

You’d seen him lingering in the halls between classes, alone at a table in the cafeteria and even in a couple of your classes. He was quiet mostly, but he liked to raise his hand with the correct answer pretty often. You never saw him before school, never at school games or waiting for a ride after some extracurricular activities. He was like a cryptid in a sense. 

He wasn’t rude or snotty either, he had always been nice whenever you caught rare glimpses of him interacting with other kids at school. It was nice to see another kid at this school not be completely stereotypical.

He was so intriguing but you didn’t know how to approach him or when. You weren’t shy exactly, just didn’t always feel the need to talk to everyone. You were drawn to Jason though, you actually wanted to talk to him. 

You had told your best friend at the time about your tiny crush on Jason, and she was nothing but supportive and wanted you to talk to him. She’d even given you the idea of how, because she was a sucker for matchmaking and romance. You weren’t entirely convinced at first but she assured you she’d be fine, she had other friends. So you listened. 

The next day you found yourself approaching Jason at lunch. He was sitting alone, like always, but he didn’t seem to mind. There was a lunch tray in front of him with everything on it, he was slowly eating the sweet potato fries as he read a book. When you sat down in front of him he barely registered it, people at other tables noticed before Jason did. You knew the cafeteria was loud, but wow. 

You took a second to really look at him. Seeing him in passing at school wasn’t the same as sitting across a table from him. He was handsome, even more-so up close. His hair was dark and curly, not short but long enough that it fell onto his tan forehead. His eyebrows were dark too, furrowed in concentration as he read the book. You knew his eyes were a piercing blue, you’d made eye contact one time in class and hadn’t forgotten them, but right now you couldn’t full see them. His nose was wide and sharp at the same time, fitting him sort of odd but you were young and that’s how features were sometimes. 

You didn’t bother him though, you let him read his book as you unwrapped whatever sandwich you had gotten and opened your own book. It took nearly 10 minutes before Jason’s eyes were no longer focused on his book and instead on you. You noticed his gaze right away and looked up at him from your book. 

“Yes?” His eyes were right on you, the perfect view for you to really see how blue they were. 

“Why are you sitting with me?” He didn’t sound rude, or annoyed, just curious. 

“Wanted to sit here.” You put a bookmark, which was a receipt for a local bookstore you’d gotten the book from, in your spot and closed it to let him know he had your attention. 

“Right, but you never sit here. Not even with your friend.” Jason had returned the favor, sort of. While you had a bookmark, he had just closed his book. Did he remember the page number? 

“I’m sitting here to sit with you, not her.” Jason’s eyes grew in surprise, not used to kids talking to him here. 

“If someone is paying you to do this, you rea-” You held your hand up to stop him from rambling on. 

“I’m not being paid, nerd. I just think you’re somewhat interesting. What are you reading?” You thought you’d be nervous talking to him, but you found yourself being snarky quite easily. 

“Midsummer Night’s Dream. You?” 

“Oh so you’re a literature nerd?” You snorted at that, he would be. “It’s the third Percy Jackson book. I started them this past weekend but haven’t had much time to read them, thank God it’s Friday.” 

You took note of Jason’s smile as you took another bite of your sandwich. He was nice, you liked talking to him and you’d only done it once. The two of you don’t talk much more after that, but when the bell for class rings you’re disappointed. 

“Bye Jason, see ya around.” 

“See ya, (Y/N)!” Jason responded before going his own way. You hadn’t noticed before but he had a slight accent. Cute. 

The second time you met him was a week later. You were at the library after school, studying for a test you didn’t feel good about. The library was quiet, serene even, a nice change to how it was at home. Always loud and never welcoming. 

The test was in language arts, your worst subject. You could deal with whatever math threw at you, you loved science and biology, but english? No fun. It wasn’t always bad, but tests were never fun even if you knew the material. 

You’d already been at the library for an hour and a half before the chair in front of you was being pulled away from the table and sat in by none other, than Jason Todd. He looked just as good as last week, except now his hair was messier, his uniform was unruly and he looked tired.

“You look like a train wreck.” You deadpanned. Jason just huffed as he let a smile tug at his lips, you were funny. 

“What are you studying?” He asked, choosing to not respond to your little comment. He was bent over his backpack, which was on the floor, and was rummaging around in it as he spoke. 

You studied him, curious as ever, to see what he’d show you. It wasn’t long before he held up some books. “Just language arts, not looking forward to Hornby’s test.” 

“If you need help, let me know.” Jason gave a small smile as he leaned back in his chair, opening the book he’d grabbed and flipping to the page he’d left off on. You couldn’t help but notice what he was reading. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. 

“Do you memorize page numbers?” You blurt out, not thinking about it. Jason looks up at your sudden question and blinks before nodding. 

“Yeah, I lose bookmarks way too easy.” 

“You’re also reading Percy Jackson…” You trail off, wanting him to elaborate. 

“Oh! This pretty neat girl kinda recommended it to me.” Jason had a shit-eating grin on his face when he said that, but it grew wider when you got flustered. You tried to come up with a response but instead you sat there gaping like a fish while Jason busied himself with reading. 

It was getting late when you decided to pack up and go home. Home was never a place you ever wanted to go to, but you did want to shower and go to bed. 

You had mumbled a bye to Jason before starting to walk to the front entrance but Jason had grabbed your arm gently. He frowned when you jerked your hand out of his grasp but still turned to face him. 

“Uhm, do you wanna hang out? Like outside of school?” He shoved his hands in his pockets before speaking again, he seemed nervous. “I know Halloween is coming up soon if you wanna go trick or treating together?” 

You usually didn’t go trick or treating, not only was Gotham terrifying, but you didn’t really have anyone to go with. Leslie was your friend but she wasn’t the friend who would go trick or treating together. But you, you liked candy and Jason Todd, so why not. 

“Sure!” Jason smiled really wide at your excitement. “Right now though, I have to go home. I’m here everyday though if you need to find me.” You grin back at him, how could you not? You didn’t want to go home, home never brought good emotions. Today though? Today was a good day, maybe it would extend to your family life. 

The few times you met between then and Halloween were short. Jason tried his best to be open with you and not keep everything a secret. Obviously he tested his luck with that when he showed up at the doorstep of the library dressed in his Robin costume. 

It wasn’t cold outside but it wasn’t warm either, and you were hugging yourself to try and preserve any warmth as Jason walked up to you. At first you thought it was just some random kid you didn’t know, but then he held out a bag to you. 

You had coordinated outfits but you didn’t expect his costume to look so good. It looked so close to the real thing, you were sure it could pass. He smirked at you, which made you realize you were staring at the very detailed costume. 

“Nice costume design, I thought you were the real one for a moment.” 

Jason sucked in a breath, not wanting to even dance upon the topic. Sure he was dressed in the very same Robin outfit Robin wore, because he is Robin, but that didn’t mean the two of you needed to talk about it. 

“Here.” Was all he replied with, not knowing how to respond. You took the bag from his hands, peeking inside to see the contents. You could see the black material of what you assumed was a cape, and the rest of whatever the costume was. 

When the two of you planned your costumes it ended up going not so well, neither of you could think of fun things that matched. Then you suggested Batgirl and Robin, and Jason thankfully kept any reaction he had to that normal before agreeing. 

You were the taller one, so you went as Batgirl which was the costume in the bag, and he goes as Robin. It was sorta funny, seeing him dressed as Robin, he looked so much like the real deal. 

A costume of equally as detailed design as Jason’s was being gripped by your fingers. It looked perfect, and part of you wondered if Jason had made them or if he had someone do it for him. The thought of Jason sewing costumes together made you chuckle. 

“How did you get these? They’re so good.” Jason shrugged. 

What was he supposed to say? My adoptive dad’s butler, who made the Batman suit, made it for you - oh by the way! I’m Robin. No way in hell. 

“It’s a secret,” Jason smiled before nodding his head toward the library door. “Go change, nerd.” 

The costume was tight but let you breathe comfortably, the material felt rich and in the mirror of the library bathroom you could see the way there was a hint of fake abs on your stomach. You giggled to yourself before putting the combat boots on and stepping out of the bathroom to leave the library. 

Jason really liked how cool you looked when you rendezvoused with him at the library step. Jason was liking you more and more every time the two of you spoke or hung out to study together, but you stepping out in a funky Batgirl costume, in something you didn’t belong in, made him want to hold your hand. 

He couldn’t bring himself to actually make a move with you though, afraid he wasn’t good enough or worse, you didn’t like him like that. He’d rather pine for you unreciprocated than deal with the possibility of rejection. So he didn’t reach out to grab your hand in his and he didn’t tell you he thought you were pretty or that he wanted to take you on a date, he didn’t tell you he wanted you to like him the way he liked you.

One day at school Jason met you at your locker during lunch. A ‘hey’ left his lips as he leaned against the locker next to yours and lolled his head to look at you. You finished organizing your supplies for each period before meeting his gaze. 

He looks tired again, like he didn’t get enough sleep last night. His lips look extra red today, he looks cute, except for the bruise that stands out along his jaw and neck. Too big to be a hickey. 

“What the fuck, Jason?” You spit, crouching down a bit to see the bruise better. It’s purple and blue and it looks painful as hell, what the hell is happening in Wayne manor? 

“It’s not that bad, I’m tough.” 

“I don’t care how tough you are, how did you get this?” Concern is lacing your voice and Jason can tell, his eyes softening slightly when you return to your normal height and look at him with furrowed eyebrows. 

“It wasn’t Bruce.” 

“How did you get it, Jason.” Your tone is assertive and you think you sound intimidating but Jason just chuckles at you. 

“Calm down, tiger. I’ll just always be a street kid, tha’s all.” 

You knew Jason grew up on the streets of Crime Alley before Bruce Wayne found him, but you hoped that his new home would mean no more needless violence. You were wrong. You huffed out a sigh and grabbed your bag before closing your locker. 

“Come with me, nerd.” You said before walking off in the direction of the nearest bathroom. Luckily you were a few minutes into lunch so the hall wasn’t packed with kids. You glanced over your shoulder to make sure Jason was following, and he was jogging to catch up to you. 

“Slow down.” You speed up for a second, just to spite him, before laughing as you approach the bathroom. 

The bathrooms were gender neutral because it was two singular stalls for anyone to use, made going into one with Jason a lot easier. You hoped no one would see you two, it did look suspicious even if it wasn’t. 

“Damn, if you wanted to be alone you could tell me.” Jason says from behind you, you can hear the teasing tone but you still roll your eyes. 

“Sit down, smart ass.” 

Jason listens, closing the lid of the toilet while you rummage in your bag for something. He admires you as you do so, he likes how you did your hair today and makes a note to tell you after this. He couldn’t get over how pretty you were, even doing simple stuff like looking for something in a high school bathroom. 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” You mumble before actually finding the thing you were looking for - a makeup bag. 

“Maybe I will.” Jason counters when you turn to him, holding up the bag. 

“Haha.” You deadpan and give him a flat look. “I’m gonna cover that bruise with some makeup.” 

Jason doesn’t object, instead nodding as you open the bag and pull out a few things that he doesn’t have a clue what they do. He doesn’t comment on how you seem a tad bit nervous after what he said, he wants to because it’s amusing, but he doesn’t. 

You finish setting up before holding up the brush and waiting for him to move his head. Jason takes the hint and angles his head so you have a clear view of the entire bruise. He waits patiently while you put the makeup on his neck, the feeling of it is weird and Jason doesn’t know if he likes it or not but he doesn’t comment on it. 

“All done,” You smile and take a step back to admire your work. “I did a good job, wow.” 

Jason gets up and steps in front of the mirror, and you did an amazing job. It looks as if there was nothing there. You hear him whisper ‘damn’. 

“Thanks. Now lets go eat, yeah?” You ask him while putting all the makeup away and washing the back of your hand.

Months after that were great, the two of you were basically best friends and he had finally introduced you to Bruce, who loved you. Jason seemed to have a lot more free time after you met Bruce, which was nice, but it concerned you slightly. You had spent New Year’s together, which was torture for Jason. 

He wanted to be cliche and kiss you at midnight, but that could only go horribly. 

You wanted the same, but you’d never say that. You knew how it went to get attached to someone, and you didn’t want to lose Jason. 

When you got a very cute card and chocolates on your desk on Valentine’s Day you told Jason first, and it really did make you happy because you could tell it was Jason’s handwriting. Enough study sessions had meant you could recognize it, even if he tried to be neat as possible. 

You didn’t know if it was him trying to make you feel included or if he truly liked you, so you didn’t confront him. You didn’t want to know the answer anyway. 

A week passed from that and Jason started acting strange. At first you didn’t notice, but over time you could sense he was distant and almost always with his head in the clouds which was very unlike him. You didn’t know how to bring it up, so you didn’t. 

Then one night, on your way home from the library, Jason stopped you. It was a chilly April night and you really wanted to get home, because despite not so great living conditions it was warm there. 

Jason however, was wearing his Halloween costume again, which confused you to no end. It was April for god sake. 

“Why are you dressed like that?” You blurted out when your body turned to him, his hand still on your shoulder. Normally his touch was startling, anyone’s was, but now it was welcomed and his gloved hand seemed to give you enough warmth that you stopped shivering. 

He had the domino mask on but you could tell he was conflicted about something. His breath was shaky and his hand squeezed your shoulder slightly before he actually was able to spit out some semblance of words. 

“I…” Jason was struggling, it was obvious. He was tense, his jaw was clenched and his face was slightly red. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“I’m Robin, (Y/N).” Jason finally blurted out. You stared at him. 

“Okay, and I’m a vampire.” Jason grimaced at you, removing his hand from your shoulder and running it through his hair. 

“I’m serious. I- I should’ve told you sooner I know but I didn’t know how. I just, tonight I’m doing something that I probably shouldn’t and I don’t have the best feeling about it so I wanted to see you.” Jason took a breath, and finally looked up from the ground to your eyes. “Please say something.” 

You inhaled, shifting your weight from one leg to the other and pulling your backpack strap up your shoulder. What were you supposed to say to that? 

“Is that why… You always had random bruises, even after that day in the bathroom. I was always scared to ask if you were getting into fights, is it because of…” Inhale. “That explains the costumes.” 

Jason nodded, not knowing what to say. A silence lingered for a moment, willing one of you to break it. So you did. 

“So. Bruce Wayne is… yanno?” You put your pointer fingers on your head like bat ears and frowned like Batman. Jason actually cracked a smile at that. 

“Yeah. Do not tell anyone, it won’t be good for him or you.” 

“Ok. What are you doing tonight that’s so dangerous?” Just Jason’s presence seemed to warm you up, which now that he was here you didn’t want him to leave. Or to go home. 

“You know what I told you about my mom?” 

“Catherine?” Jason nods in response. 

“Well, she wasn’t my biological mom. Sheila Haywood is.” Jason was so excited he was shaking, and you could see that. Either he didn’t care or couldn’t at the moment. 

“Well shit.” You blew air out of your cheeks, letting Jason know you were unsure of what to say. That’s a lot to process.

Jason had told you everything he could about his mom, including her death. You knew how much this meant to him, he had lost both of his parents in a short amount of time and now he’s finding out his mom wasn’t even his actual mom? There was a knot in your stomach, you didn’t doubt that he could take on whatever was thrown his way, but you couldn’t help but worry. You didn’t voice your thoughts though, you couldn’t ruin his mood. 

“Where is she?” 

“Ethiopia, apparently. I’m going there tonight. B-man is not gonna like it, but I need to see her.” Jason was grinning as he spoke, you loved when he really smiled. “That’s not what I’m here for though. At least not for the most part. I just, wanted to see you. As good luck.” Jason kept his smile on his face as he said that, hoping you’d know what he meant. 

“Ok, nerd. Don’t die out there okay?” His hint flew right over your head, but he didn’t care he felt great. 

“I’ve gotten this far.” His smile turned into a smirk as that silence returned. This time though, it was like magnets were pulling Jason to you. He was always afraid of what would happen if you ever found out he liked you, but right now he was too happy to overthink it. 

He acted on impulse, taking a step towards you putting a hand on the back of your neck. Your breath hitched at the closeness and contact, you could see all the details of his face that wasn’t covered by the domino mask. 

“Can I kiss you?” He whispers and you nod before he’s pressing his lips against yours gently. It was soft, sweet and excited. Jason couldn’t explain the warmth in his chest when you began kissing back. He’d been waiting for this since the first time you flashed a smile at him. 

If Jason’s presence hadn’t warmed you, the kiss definitely did. He had gently moved his other hand to your neck as well to be in a less awkward position. It wasn’t exactly good, but it was with you and that was what mattered. Besides, you could practice later. 

When the two of you broke apart for air, your eyes opened and stayed wide for a minute. Sure you liked Jason, but you were never sure that he liked you the same way. You hoped the kiss meant he did. 

“I gotta go, but when I get back we can have a movie night. Your choice.” Jason smiled wide again, face flushed and lips swollen. You just nodded, not knowing how to speak after that. He kissed your cheek before his hands left your neck and you were cold again. 

A week later, Bruce Wayne held a small funeral for him. You attended. Bruce had sought you out personally to deliver the news. He knew Jason liked you, even if Jason wouldn’t tell him, and he knew he had to tell you before you thought Jason was ignoring you or missing. 

It was the worst week of your life, you knew it. 

It had been years since that night he left. You missed him still, so many things still reminded you of him. From seeing the new Robin to seeing Bruce on tv to hearing about the crime on his side of Gotham. It was interesting to know that Bruce was Batman, and that whoever he might adopt is probably also working with him at night.

You told yourself you were doing good, obviously things like that would remind you of a dead friend and that was normal. It wasn’t until you got your med school acceptance letter that you really had trouble. You would’ve jumped into Jason’s arms and celebrated with him, knowing he’d be proud of you but now… You still told him of course, which is how you found yourself at his grave in Wayne Manor’s cemetery. 

It wasn’t cold but the feeling of being in a cemetery and staring at Jason’s gravestone made you feel freezing. You swear you could feel someone’s eyes on you as you crouched down to start telling Jason about your acceptance. 

It felt so weird. Talking to a slab of stone with your dead friend’s name on it and acting like he might be able to hear you or something. You didn’t know how to start, where to start or even if you should start at all. 

You knew Alfred or Tim would know you were there, they always asked the next day if you were okay after you visited his grave. They knew you wouldn’t touch the grounds if it weren’t for his grave being on there. 

Tim especially knew how you had felt about it all, he had asked one time when he was outside at the same time as you. He’d heard stories from Alfred about how happy you made Jason and that you were the one who got him to do things other than constantly patrol with Bruce. 

Tim hadn’t known Jason so obviously that didn’t mean much to him, but he did know you. He knew you weren’t fond of him but you did talk to him sometimes because he always listened despite not having to. 

You ran your fingers over the grass and dirt on the area in front of Jason’s stone. 

“Hey, nerd.” You forced a weak smile, knowing that if he could see you he wouldn’t want you frowning after the news you got. 

“I-” Your voice wavered. This is stupid, he can’t hear you he’s dead. You’d seen his body, you’d seen Bruce’s grief and heartbreak. Jason would appreciate you doing this if he was able to though, and that thought made you keep speaking. 

“I got a letter today, accepted to GCU for med practice. I want to frame the letter but I got some tears on it so I don’t know if it’ll look right. I wish you were here so I could see your reaction. Hell, I wish you were here so you could give me a hug.” You huffed. 

You felt silly talking to the stone, you’d only ever visited his grave before, never actually trying to tell him stuff for this exact reason.

“I just wish you were here. I miss you.” You couldn’t bring yourself to say more, knowing that one more word in his memory would cause the tears you were holding back to spill out and you did not want to have a breakdown in the Wayne cemetery. 

It didn’t look right. The cold, grey, lifeless stone with Jason’s name on it. It felt like you were in a nightmare you couldn’t wake up from. But looking at the stone in silence, feeling the ground under you and hearing the depressing noises of Gotham’s activity- you knew it wasn’t a dream. 

Your thoughts trailed to the story Bruce told you about how Jason died. Joker was a sick and twisted man, everyone knew that, but killing an innocent kid? That crossed so many lines. It filled you with rage when you first found out, you had nearly collapsed because you were crying and felt dizzy, but Bruce caught you.

Bruce didn’t want to tell you at first, and when you broke down he was sure you would’ve been better off not knowing but you insisted you had to know because it was Jason and you couldn’t think straight without knowing. You still couldn’t think straight after finding out, hell, you couldn’t think straight now. 

You eased back to standing straight, adjusting your hoodie, wiping your tears and walking away. You still felt like you were being watched, but it didn’t feel like it was Tim or Alfred or even Bruce. You glanced over your shoulder to see nothing, which only made you more uneasy. You shake it off but walk back to your car as quick as you can, you didn’t need to add being kidnapped to everything you’ve experienced in Gotham. 

Jason watched you from his hiding spot, he knew you couldn’t see him because it’s the same spot he used to hide from Bruce all those years ago when he watched with curious eyes while Bruce mourned at his parents graves. 

He watched as you wrapped your arms around your legs while crouched down to keep more warmth around you. He watched as you told him that you were accepted to GCU, which he couldn’t be happier for you about. 

He watched as you fixed your hoodie, bright red and- that was his hoodie. He smiled at that. It reminded him of how when he told you his favorite color was green you wore green hair clips to school the next day. The little things. 

Jason frowned when you got up to leave, he wanted you to keep talking. He missed your voice so much. He wanted to hear about everything that happened in the past five years from the second he left you to the second he found you again. But he knew he couldn’t. 

And that almost killed him. Again.


End file.
